


Babies!

by katayla



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-30
Updated: 2009-01-30
Packaged: 2017-10-04 19:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/pseuds/katayla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barney and Robin babysit Marshall and Lily's kids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babies!

**Author's Note:**

> For Christmas, [](http://falsemurmur.livejournal.com/profile)[**falsemurmur**](http://falsemurmur.livejournal.com/) asked for a fic about Barney and Robin babysitting Lily and Marshall's kids.

"Do you want kids?"

In five years of being a couple and nine of knowing each other, it was one of the strangest things Barney had ever asked her. Everyone knew, had known since they met her, that Robin Scherbatsky didn't do kids. And yet . . . between Lily and Marshall's family and Ted and his wife trying to have a baby, her life had become more full of children than she ever expected. Which led to nights like tonight, when she and Barney gave up their Friday to watch Lily and Marshall's two daughters. But that didn't mean she wanted kids. Which is what she told Barney.

"I know," Barney said. "But I thought maybe . . . with everything . . . I didn't know if you changed your mind." He gestured at Lily and Marshall's baby daughter who was asleep in Robin's arms. Her big sister had curled up next to Barney, and drifted off to sleeping holding onto his tie.

"Babysitting isn't the same thing as wanting kids," Robin said. "Unless . . . do you want them?"

Barney shrugged. "Being an uncle is awesome, but . . . ."

Robin nodded. "We couldn't jet off to Sweden."

"Get kicked out of Starbucks."

"Well, we could," Robin said. "Just not for the same reason."

"Our sex life would disappear."

"I think Ted's having plenty of sex right now."

Barney waved a hand. "Conception sex doesn't count."

Robin laughed. "Don't tell his wife that."

"Too late." Barney grinned at her and raised his eyebrows.

Robin shook her head. She loved Ted's wife, but she couldn't talk about anything but babies these days. She was even worse than Lily had been when she and Marshall were trying.

"But you have to admit," Barney said. "Our kids would be pretty amazing."

"Yeah, they would," Robin said softly. It wasn't like it had never crossed her mind. She was human, after all. She'd seen the look in Marshall's eyes when he held his child for the first time, the look in Lily's when she told them she was pregnant. And Barney was so good with kids. They loved his boundless energy, his willingness to play any game, the funny voices he used when he read stories to them. Sometimes, she thought that if his life had been just a little different, he'd be the father of a huge family by now. In an alternate life, right now he'd be threatening his daughter's boyfriend and worrying about her grades. She wondered if she would've fallen in love with that Barney.

But she'd seen the other side of the kids question, too. Ted's wife calling her up sobbing because she'd gotten her period. Lily and Marshall falling asleep at MacClaren's. That wasn't the life she wanted. She had her dream job. She had Barney. She was content.

"I think I'm okay with being an amazing aunt."

"You're the world's best aunt," Barney said, leaning over to squeeze her arm.

She'd never thought of herself as good with kids (quite the opposite), but she'd learned the trick of cuddling a cranky baby, and memorized the feel of a tiny hand grabbing her finger. She'd grown used to hugs and kisses from people a quarter of her height. She'd never love all children, but she'd do anything for the ones she did love. "And you're the world's best uncle," she said.

"Of course, I am," Barney said. "You know, we're going to have to teach these kids how to live."

"Marshall and Lily are already overprotective."

"Someone needs to show them how to sneak out of windows." Barney wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Buy them cigars."

"And beer."

"And condoms."

"No way," Barney said. "They're not having sex."

"Ever?"

"Hey, I know men," Barney said. "Men are evil. These two need to stay away from them."

"Some men are okay," Robin said, smiling at him.

On the way out of Lily and Marshall's apartment later that night, Barney put his arm around Robin and said, "I'm glad to be us."

Robin leaned into him and said, "Me, too."

He kissed the top of her head, and Robin knew her life was exactly the way it should be.


End file.
